Ordering from the EU - thoughts?

[ootini]

Has anyone had an item shipped from this retailer before please? Just reading through this page : https://scandinavianoutdoor.com/custome ... livery-uk/ Am I correct that firstly, if I order an Exped HL winter MW @ £136, I'd have to find something for a fiver to get me over the £140 minimum order? Also, when it hits UK customs will I then be hit for 20% VAT, approx £28? Would there be other costs on top of that? Import duty or similar.

I've not ordered from the EU since "you know what".

Thanks all

[whitestone]

You might have to pay a "release fee" from the carrier, usually in the £8-12 range. There "could" be import duty which is typically 8% on leisure goods. VAT rules changed a year or so ago, the seller might be part of the HMRC scheme where the seller handles the VAT and pays it to HMRC, if so then that's in the stated price. If the price explicitly states "no VAT" for UK customers then you'll have to pay it. That's when it gets stupid. What seems to be happening is that the carrier becomes liable so you have to pay them then they pass it on to HMRC.

So (140 x 1.08 x 1.2) + 8 = £189.44 is the possible maximum but more likely (140 x 1.08) +8 = £151.20

Honestly, it's a minefield covered in cow pats.

[Loki]

The carrier will probably add a fee for handling the customs charges. Although I just got a camera bag from Germany and I had no charges at all.

[Shewie]

I did a £220 order of bike stuff with deporvillage in Spain a few weeks back, got a nice £70 ransom demand from Parcel Force

Lesson learned on that one, I only went with them because one of the items was £10 cheaper than other suppliers

[ScotRoutes]

IIRC there's an amount below which you'll escape import charges. Might be around the £130 mark? It can therefore be worth considering multiple small orders

[Lazarus]

It's £135 * but if you can understand these guidelines you have better comprehension skills than I have .
I have received goods from China that were a fiver without charges but not tried EU

* Seems to assume they charged you VAT

https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/tax-and-duty

[Bearbonesnorm]

As mentioned, there is a threshold but many EU companies won't send to the UK for orders below that amount. £140 springs to mind.

My experience suggests that the answer to the question is 'who knows?'.

[Lazarus]

I think above the 135 they can pass it to you to sort out and below they have to do it* ( whether they all do this or whether customs checks seems to be where the lottery / pot luck element is
* How the UK govt forces them seems very unclear but I assume those who sell a lot here will do others just chance it

[FLV]

I think it's

Price paid + customs charge + shipping

Then 20% vat on that lot.

[lune ranger]

As mentioned, there is a threshold but many EU companies won't send to the UK for orders below that amount. £140 springs to mind.

…. Because under the threshold the seller is responsible to pay the UK Gov VAT at point of sale. Over that amount the buyer is responsible for VAT at point of import.
Basically the gov are asking foreign firms to register for UK VAT.
Understandably a lot of big companies are not interested in registration hence the £140 limit on sales to the UK.
Other big companies have embraced it and continue pretty much as normal. For example AddNature the outdoor store still do free delivery and returns to the UK and deal with all the tax. As I understand it so do their sister store Bikester.
Smaller online shops seem to be ignoring the whole thing and selling as before - in this case it’s in the lap of the gods as to getting hit with charges on delivery.
Interestingly (or not) the UK system is an early adoption of a system the EU intend to implement themselves (possibly this year) so maybe sellers from elsewhere like the US will react the same for them when the changes happen.

[Bearbonesnorm]

…. Because under the threshold the seller is responsible to pay the UK Gov VAT at point of sale. Over that amount the buyer is responsible for VAT at point of import.
Basically the gov are asking foreign firms to register for UK VAT.
Understandably a lot of big companies are not interested in registration hence the £140 limit on sales to the UK.
Other big companies have embraced it and continue pretty much as normal. For example AddNature the outdoor store still do free delivery and returns to the UK and deal with all the tax. As I understand it so do their sister store Bikester.
Smaller online shops seem to be ignoring the whole thing and selling as before - in this case it’s in the lap of the gods as to getting hit with charges on delivery.
Interestingly (or not) the UK system is an early adoption of a system the EU intend to implement themselves (possibly this year) so maybe sellers from elsewhere like the US will react the same for them when the changes happen.

Why don't they explain it like that? Makes sense when you say it Luke

[whitestone]

The VAT registration change came in at the start of 2021, both the UK and EU had that start date but the EU postponed it for six months to avoid it getting in the way of brexit thus the EU scheme started on 1st July 2021. More info here - https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/b ... ommerce_en

[Taylor]

I've got a new exped mat (Germany) that parcel farce have decided to keep hold of, I'm awaiting a letter with my release fee in the post, I'll let you know when that arrives.

[Cheeky Monkey]

I've got a new exped mat (Germany) that parcel farce have decided to keep hold of, I'm awaiting a letter with my release fee in the post, I'll let you know when that arrives.

I knew your luck had to run out ;-)

[ColinC]

Perhaps it goes without saying, but any tubes on here who voted for Brexshit, presume your realise the stupidity of your actions now ...

[Taylor]

Perhaps it goes without saying, but any tubes on here who voted for Brexshit, presume your realise the stupidity of your actions now ...

There's a lot of tubes that vote for Scotland to leave the UK which is essentially the same thing.
This isn't the right forum for an argument on politics though.

[Bearlegged]

First time i've heard "tubes" as an insult. Presumably a sleight against the intelligence of anyone who's yet to go tubeless?

[Mariner]

I think it's

Price paid + customs charge + shipping

Then 20% vat on that lot.

It is definitely not price paid it is price registered.
Mrs M bought some stuff from Holland on a half price offer so she bought two.
The charges at our door were for registered full price x 2.
I believe that a whole new set of charges are due to kick in 1 Jan so beware.

[Taylor]

First time i've heard "tubes" as an insult. Presumably a sleight against the intelligence of anyone who's yet to go tubeless?

[Rob S]

It's easy to get caught out, I ordered an eTrex from Deporvillage in the summer as it was £20 cheaper. I'd no idea I was ordering from Spain, it was all in English, the price was in sterling (plus I'm not the most savvy of people when it comes to computers/internet)
I think I got took for £56, I felt a right mug.

[Rob S]

Perhaps it goes without saying, but any tubes on here who voted for Brexshit, presume your realise the stupidity of your actions now ...

I feel I'm probably going to feel your wrath here, but I voted leave. No one with any sense could have thought leaving was ever going to be plain sailing and trade with the EU was never going to be as simple after as it was before. But it wasn't about immigration or the EU subs we were paying for me. Just the fact that a country without autonomy isn't really a country in my book.

I may be wrong on this, but isn't all these extra charges and tax more to do with the EU punishing us than brexit itself?

[Cheeky Monkey]

Perhaps it goes without saying, but any tubes on here who voted for Brexshit, presume your realise the stupidity of your actions now ...

Just no need

[ScotRoutes]

I may be wrong on this, but isn't all these extra charges and tax more to do with the EU punishing us than brexit itself?

If you leave the EU then you incur all the taxes and charges that other non-EU countries do. It's nothing beyond that. The UK isn't special in this regard.

[Lazarus]

I may be wrong on this, but isn't all these extra charges and tax more to do with the EU punishing us than brexit itself?

Hold on so you voted leave , to bring back control, and now you think the EU is setting UK import taxation and VAT rules Furthermore the newly autonomous UK govt , sorry GB , is collecting it from us because the EU punished us
It's not STW so I will just say your explanation is not accurate. .

[Rob S]

I may be wrong on this, but isn't all these extra charges and tax more to do with the EU punishing us than brexit itself?

Hold on so you voted leave , to bring back control, and now you think the EU is setting UK import taxation and VAT rules Furthermore the newly autonomous UK govt , sorry GB , is collecting it from us because the EU punished us
It's not STW so I will just say your explanation is not accurate. .

No I don't think that at all, I was trying to quote from a half-remembered discussion on Question Time many years ago. If someone more knowledgeable than me, Scotroutes for instance, tells me I'm wrong, I'm not going to argue the point.